Giant Cutts...

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
1

I’ was doing some work in Couer’d Alene a Few years back and hooked up and fished with a few really cool guys and really good fisherman.
They told me about and showed me some pictures of some HUGE Lahotan cutts that were caught ( and released ) from some lakes (there were a few) somewhere around the Idaho/Nevada/Oregon border.
It never sounded like a trip that was worth the effort until I took a guided trip last spring on Walker Lake in Nevada and I found the fish a fun and Interesting species to catch.
I would like to make a trip out there and try to find the lakes.

Anyone know where I might look…

thanks,

Dink.

2

Pyramid lake in Nevada is what you are looking for, Tube Dude can give you more info I believe but Southern man on the Nevada board can help you also. Good luck. WH2

3

Thanks for the responses guys.
No I know of pyramid lake well, I have actually fished it a few times w/ limited results. I did nail one there that went about 9 lbs though.
Walker Lake is about an hour due south of Pyramid Lake near Hawthorne, NV. If you ever decide to go chace these pigs I would suggest trying Walker first. Though it rarely produces the big 20 pounders that Pyramid does,the average fish is bigger and there is a healthy population of 6 to 8 pounders that are a bit more willing to bite than those in Pyramid.
I will be happy to share techniques in PM’s if anyone wants to know.

That being said. The lakes i speak of were pretty small, about half or less the size of rockport from the pics I saw. Somewhere near the Idaho/Nevada/Oregon border though I’m not sure which state. Possibly on an indian reservation and looked to be in the middle of nowhere.

Hope someone knows sumthin…

Thanks

Dink.

4

:sunglasses:There is a lake that they planted with Lahontan Cutthroats years ago, and I think it might be in Oregon. I have a book on Pyramid lake, but it’s too late at night for me to look up that info for you right now, but ironically, this lake ended up saving the Cutthroat fishery in Pyramid, because during the first half of this Century, as TubeDude said, it was heavily fished out and almost was completely fished out. In about 1940 or so, the people in charge of the fishery at Pyramid at that time went back to that lake and got some fish and eggs, etc., and planted them back into Pyramid (where that strain originally came from anyway) and with better regulations and a lot of TLC, the lake came back to what it is today (simply one of the best Cutthroat fisheries in the world).

I grew up in Fallon, NV and fished Pyramid and Walker as a kid, and about once a winter the past 10 years or so when back in town visiting family. Unfortunitely, Walker has been SEVERELY effected by their recent drought, and the big fish aren’t in there anymore. In fact, last year, the Nevada DWR biologists were affraid that they might lose the fishery alltogether as the alkali levels were dangerously too high, thanks to lowest water levels in years. This has killed off most of the big fish in that lake (5 lbs and above), but this past season many 3 pounders were still being caught, which delighted and surprised the biologists. Walker isn’t as protected as Pyramid is, and so because Pyramid is on an indian reservation, it is ran by them, and gets lots of federal water rights, and funding. Walker gets screwed out of a lot of water because ironically the indians (different tribe, etc.) upstream from it like the water from the Walker river for farming first, and the lake gets whats left.

Fortunitely, the Sierra Nevada mountain range (Walker’s water source) got dumped on this year, so there should be enough water to bring the lake up some this year, but it still most likely won’t fill it up.

Bottom line, for right now, Walker is good for smaller trout action, but Pyramid is WAY better for fish in the 4 lb and up class, with several 12-15 pounders taken every year. My stepdad has a website that while cluttered, and not the most professional in the world, has some great info, reports, and pictures of the famous Lahontan Cutthroats from Pyramid, and even Walker Lakes (which originally were both a part of Ancient Lake Lahontan-similar to ancient Lake Bonneville). Here’s his website:
www.wescraigs.net just click on the Pyramid Lake report, or the Walker Lake one.

Crap, it’s getting late! Off to bed I go!

5

What an excellent post man… Thanks ! Sad to hear about walker, i caught some bruisers a few years back.
Cant wait to check out the link.
I have posted the same message on the Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada boards. If I get any info I’ll be sure and pass it on.

Thanks again,

Dink